Bedtime
by madxviolet
Summary: Nick and Ellis are forced to share a bed for a night. Turns out to not be so bad. I'm bad at summaries... Definitely lots of mansecks. Don't read if you're not into that.


I don't own them, Valve does. And I tried to remove all the /slants/, sorry if I missed a few.

* * *

"Just cuz you fool that kid into thinkin' you're alright don't mean nothin," Coach began quietly as Ellis milled around on the second floor of the safe house they found. They'd already found a shower and fairly stocked kitchen on the first floor. Nick had insisted he shower first while Rochelle offered to do his laundry. Rochelle offered to go last so she could do the other two's as well and after coming to terms, Nick had decided she wasn't so bad. However, reloading their guns and storing up ammo for the next morning had found Coach talking Nick's ear off. "That boy's a little off, doesn't surprise me that he can't see what a fuckin' scumbag you are."

"Thanks, I was beginning to think you didn't like me," Nick muttered as he picked through some of the non perishable food they'd found.

"Look, I might be willin' to put up with you because you're here, but that don't mean I can't tell you how I feel. I want you to know early on, I ain't here to do you any favors."

"Well just so you know, I think the army's gonna line us up and shoot us even if they do save us. What's the point in trying for rescue."

"I don't give a shit about you but that girl and that kid up there are young and they have a lot of life left to live, I plan on seein' that they get to live it. I ain't had children of my own so-"

"I'm not interested in your autobiography, Coach." Nick looked up when he heard the other male in the group come down from upstairs.

"Hey y'all there's beds up here! I got dibs!" Ellis seemed to spring back to life despite the pain Nick was certain he must be feeling from a Hunter attack earlier on that day. The kid was resilient, Nick had to give him credit for that.

"How many beds?" Rochelle asked as she rejoined the group, towel in her hands and wearing two others around her middle and shoulders, adequately covering herself up.

"Three. Two li'l kid size ones an' a real big one," the kid beamed.

"How big is the bigger one?" Coach asked.

"Looked like a king an' that one's mine!" Ellis answered.

"Now hold on, boy. Rochelle, I think you should get one of the single beds, but that means someone's gonna have to share the king with..." Coach trailed off with an exasperated sigh as if he'd been dealing with a rowdy son.

"No way, I found it first! That sucker's mine." Ellis sat down on the ground Indian style and put his arms behind his head, leaning against the wall.

"Ellis," Coach warned.

"I don't mind sharing with someone. I'll share with you, Ellis," Rochelle piped up. Nick couldn't help but kind of narrow his eyes a little. But only because he didn't want to spend the night in a room with Coach. Or maybe it was because the woman was almost _naked_ and offering to get in bed with Nick's only competition. He'd been kind of desperate for release since the whole end-of-the-world thing began... It had always been a great stress reliever for the conman.

Ellis blushed a little and grinned. "I promise no disr'spect," he told her, looking down at the ground.

"Not like you'd know what to do, anyway," Nick grumbled under his breath. Coach shot him a dirty look but it seemed like Rochelle and Ellis hadn't heard him.

"Don't be surprised if we wake up and the big guy's dead," Nick responded, answering to his look. Coach took a step toward him but Rochelle stepped in between them.

"Maybe you and I should take the kids's room, Coach," Rochelle suggested. "Ellis, would you mind?"

"Do I mind sharin' with Nick? Nope."

"Thanks for asking my opinion, I appreciate when you guys make me feel like part of the team," Nick said sarcastically.

Coach shook his head. "We don't care about your _opinion_. Now I'm goin' to bed. Good night." The staccato exaggeration on the last two words made it known that the discussion was over and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Touch me during the night and you're dead," Nick threatened. Ellis just smiled and jumped up from the ground.

"I'll try not to... But I'm kinda res'less." Ellis scampered up the stairs like Christmas was waiting for him and went into the room, plopping himself down on the bed and laying back with his feet still on the ground, letting out an exhausted sigh. Nick noticed that there was an industrial style fluorescent light on the floor and switched the light switch on. Nothing happened. Nick looked down at the bed and shook his head. Ellis's shirt rode up a little bit and Nick noticed that he had a little bit of a happy trail in the light and the tied up coveralls he wore hung low on his hips, letting his bones peak beneath his skin.

"Move," Nick ordered as he shoved Ellis's leg with his once-expensive shoe. By that point, it was dirtied and scuffed.

"Sorry, Nick. Hey, you know what'd be cool?"

"If we both shut up and went to sleep?"

"No, I was thinkin'-"

"First of all, I doubt _you_ think, and second of all, I'm trying really hard not to kill you right now. This was not what I had in mind for the night let alone the past couple of weeks being stuck with you three. I'm almost hoping a zombie will eat my brain out during the night so I won't have to wake up to another day of it." Nick bent over and began to pull his shoes off and he removed his jacket, folding it neatly despite the fact that it was no longer worth what he'd paid for it.

"Why's e'rybody so negative? Y'all need ta relax." Ellis began to take his shirt off and Nick felt his eyebrows raise and his lips part a bit as the fabric was peeled away to reveal bruised and scratched but otherwise smooth, evenly tanned skin, shiny from the sweat of a humid Savannah night. He watched in a sort of mesmerized stupor as the firmed muscles in the young man's back flexed when he raised his arms above his head, letting out a well-earned yawn. As he brought his hands down he removed his hat, revealing so-soft looking auburn curls. He tussled his hair a bit and turned around. Nick's eyes washed over his bare torso and he felt himself sneer. Nick was by no means overweight, but he wasn't really cut the way the kid was. Years of good eating with powerful people and staying away from hard labor had made sure that he was getting a little soft around the middle. He wasn't lacking in strength at all and he _was_ fit, it was just definition. Nick had to admit that he was kind of jealous.

He quickly pushed that from his mind. "Relax? Ellis, you don't seem to understand that we're all gonna die out here. Even you. Do you understand _anything_? There's no more drankin' beer with yer buddy _Keith_, no more fireworks, no more fucking Jimmy Gibbs Jr, no more dandy mornings at your little tinker-toy autoshop. Your sweet ol' ma? Yeah, she's a zombie! Whatever _life_ you had is over and it's not coming back." Nick sighed and closed his eyes. "God I miss food. And cigarettes. And _fucking_."

"Ya know somethin', Nick? You're like a stubborn li'l baby. You're always whinin' and expectin' e'rybody ta take care a all yer shit. It _does_ get old." Nick couldn't help the air that caught in his throat at the words, he'd never heard the hick say anything remotely unpleasant to anybody before. It was kind of startling.

"Oh really? And you think your chipper as hell gumdrop kiddie attitude helps things? If you'd open your eyes for a minute and look around you'd see you have nothing to be so goddamn happy about, Ellis. This world's a shitty place, it was even like that before this. You just didn't get it. How much fun can it be hanging out with a guy who's got an IQ even smaller than yours?"

"You think I'm stupid, Nick, but jus' cuz I ain't gotta hustle people ta make my money an' I take joy in simpler things don't mean you're any better 'an me or more grown up. An' I think you oughta try gettin' along with your own damn self b'fore you say anything about dealin' with me. No offense, Nick, but tha's prob'ly why you don't know the value a frien'ship. Prob'ly ain't nobody who wanna stick around you that long." Ellis kicked his boots off and threw himself into bed, immediately turning his back on Nick.

"What the hell do you know about making money? What do you know about being an adult? It seems like everything's a game to you. This whole shooting zombies thing is just target practice and you got to drive a _really cool car_. You act like this isn't the end of the world." Nick laid down on the opposite side of the bed, leaning back into the pillow contentedly despite having to put up with June heat and Ellis banter.

"I'm jus' able ta see the good in things no matter what."

"You're such a child. How old are you, anyways?"

"Twenny-three since las' month."

"You're a Gemini, aren't you? Goddamn babbling, happy ass attitude and jumping around all the time, you have to be," Nick grumbled, unsure why he was continuing the conversation. "I used to date a psychic who was into astrology and shit."

"Didja love 'er?" Nick raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised by the question.

"I don't love anybody. Never have."

"Ya di'n't love your wife?" Ellis still had his back turned, and Nick was thankful. The subject of love and caring for other people was a bit of a sore one for the older man, and bringing his ex-wife into the mix was a hard hit.

"People fucking suck, kid. They bring you down. Especially women, _especially _that woman."

"I'm in love," Ellis offered. Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"With yer _maw_?" Nick mocked, dragging out the last word obnoxiously. Ellis didn't say anything in response and for a moment Nick wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't fallen asleep.

"No seriously, with who," Nick inquired, his tone lightening a little.

"I don't even know why I tried ta talk to you serious, you don't take nothin' serious 'less it's all about you."

"Look," Nick started sourly, "I'm... just stressed out, and _you_ don't help any! This is a fucking nightmare and I'm so _tired _of _you_ and your _attitude_!"

"Yeah," Ellis agreed, and Nick fumed. Was this kid_ aiming_ to be annoying? Nick was pissed that the boy was getting underneath _his_ skin but he couldn't do the same.

"Do you _try _to be so goddamn-"

"You know why you ain't never been in love? Cuz nobody can stand ta be around you! _Tha's_ why your poor wife left ya, and tha's why you can't find another! Fuckin' lipstick on yer collar don't make you look badass, it makes you look pathetic for tryin' 'a make it seem like you got game. You think I wouldn't know what ta do in bed with someone? I bet I know better 'an you. You prob'ly just poke around like a jackass 'til you feel like you did a'right then leave cuz tha's all you know how ta do." Nick felt himself involuntarily pin the boy by both shoulders, but his strong front never wavered and he only looked back at him with a steely glare. Nick grew more frustrated that his scare-tactics weren't having an effect.

"You," Nick growled, "know nothing about me. I dare you to say one more word."

"I feel sorry for you, Nick," Ellis responded, sounding so genuine that Nick's blood boiled in his veins. Despite his expression, Ellis's eyes were a bit sad, but Nick likened it to the fact that they were a stony blue-gray color, like overcast sky at sea, not because he actually cared; and _pity_ made Nick even more enraged.

Nick dug his fingers into the solid body beneath him as the urge to hit the boy bubbled in his chest. The punishment for his fiery tongue was short-lived though. Ellis leaned up and gave Nick a deep kiss. It was easy and gentle and slightly parted against Nick's mouth and he felt himself let out a breath when the younger man caught his bottom lip softly between his teeth. To the older man's surprise, his eyes fluttered closed and his head moved toward Ellis's when he broke away because he _liked_ it. He hadn't realized, but his grip on the boy's shoulders had loosened to a careful touch.

"You're in love with _me_?" Nick asked after a devastating silence. Ellis closed his eyes and broke into a slow, surprisingly stunning smile and started laughing, low and lazy.

"Naw, you kiddin' me? I 'on't even like you, Nick, an' you'd be hard pressed ta find someone _I_ don't like." Ellis was still smiling, and Nick was still staring and starting to doubt his sanity for doing so.

"Then what the fuck was that?" Nick didn't realize he was still straddling the boy and quickly removed himself, rolling himself off and back to his own side of the bed.

"You _needed _it. You prob'ly ain't never had a real kiss in yer life an' we're gonna die anyway, right? I ain't never gonna kiss the one I _do_ love again... an' I like kissin'. I jus' wanted ta calm ya down a bit." For the first time in a really long time, Nick was completely speechless. The seemingly senseless redneck beside him was definitely right; Nick had never been kissed that way before, by anybody, and it kind of felt nice. Ellis stared at him as if nothing had happened, and it was Nick's turn to face away.

"Ellis..." Nick trailed off and though the kid remained silent, Nick could feel his eyes on his back. "I'm... I- I guess I owe you... an apology or... something- look, I'm sorry. I don't say that very often, so don't run your mouth off to Coach about it." Ellis picked his hand up and rested it on Nick's shoulder, running it down his back and then his side until he got to his hip. Ellis smirked a little bit as he could feel Nick's body tense.

"I ain't gonna say nothin'," Ellis whispered. Nick felt the mattress dip as the younger man moved closer to him. Nick tried to remain calm when he felt Ellis's teeth nip at his back through his shirt. He rolled himself over so that he was at the edge of the bed and facing his counterpart, unsure of himself because he _wanted_ the contact, he even _wanted_ it to be Ellis and that scared him. The only explanation his troubled mind could muster was that maybe the apocalypse had clouded his vision. He'd never kissed a man before or been so close to so much more than that, and he was starving for some sexual affection and Ellis was _there_, seemingly allowing him to have it. And he couldn't deny that he needed to wind down so badly.

Ellis's hand laid on the mattress where Nick's body had been but he didn't move it. Nick looked down, examining his clean fingernails from the shower earlier in the night up to a particularly nasty gash in the meat of his arm that Coach had stitched up hours before, after he'd been attacked by that hunter. He noticed the slight raise of the veins that ran through the crease in his elbow and up to his bicep. He took in the day old scruff on his neck and sharpened jaw and studied his face. There was a look of surrender and a want to please behind his eyes and Nick kind of lost his cool. The animalistic urge to ravage that he felt when a beautiful, naive and disposable woman looked at him that way came over him and he moved to act on it.

Seconds later, he was a teenager again, hot and clumsy kisses finding their mark or missing it completely, either way he just needed to _touch _him. Ellis slipped his eyes shut and opened his mouth, allowing Nick inside. He spread his legs so that Nick could fit a leg of his own between them. One hand found its way around the mechanic's neck loosely and the other explored every tightened muscle in his stomach up to his pecs. The feeling of another man, typically his enemy in the field of intimacy, going lax beneath his fingers sent a surge of testosterone down his body to his crotch and Nick ground himself against Ellis's thigh. Ellis let out a hot, husky breath against Nick's mouth and laced his fingers through the older man's hair while his other hand gripped the gambler's forearm. Nick did it again and Ellis moaned, breathy and gorgeous into the room when Nick's thigh came down on his tightening pants.

Nick squeezed his throat a little, causing him to open his eyes. Nick hadn't realized he was panting desperately and honestly _turned on_ until their gazes connected and the world seemed to still around them. The young Southerner really was kind of beautiful, especially under such heated circumstances with flushed cheeks and half lidded eyes.

"Quiet," Nick breathed out before breaking the stare. He let himself rest his weight against Ellis's body and sighed into his neck where his hand had been and began sucking at his sweat-salted skin. Briefly, he considered that marking the boy may be a bad idea, but the way it made Ellis whine and tremble beneath him made up his mind for him. Ellis leaned his head back and let Nick in, bucking his hips gently but so needy against him. Nick broke away and moved down his body, touching every inch of the way down to his waistline. Set in blood and grime covered the fabric of his work clothes and it seemed so harsh against his golden-brown skin. Nick used fumbling fingers to undo the knot in the arms and laid them aside.

"Are you sure?" Nick heard himself whisper, unaware that he even cared because the old Nick wouldn't think twice about double-checking.

"_You_ sure?" Ellis echoed, a sly and confident grin covering his face. His voice was deep and velvety and his bedroom eyes were dark and sexy and Nick kind of felt the question in his bones. He _wasn't_ so sure anymore. Ellis may have unknowingly put off an air of pure-hearted innocence and idiotic incapability in his every day life, making him seem ignorant and childish, but clearly he was no child as Nick had accused earlier and was obviously experienced. It kind of _intimidated_ Nick, and that was something he was_ not _used to.

"No offense, Ellis, but where did you get such perfect teeth?" Nick asked him, shrugging off the nervous vibes in place of some numbing small talk.

"Ain't hard ta brush yer teeth, Nick. B'lieve it 'r not, I did used ta do that _an'_ even manage ta shower ev'ryday b'fore this." Ellis leaned up to meet Nick who sat between his legs and wrapped his arms around his neck. He pressed his forehead against Nick's and just looked into his eyes for a moment. Nick closed the gap and kissed him hard, his hands finding Ellis's ribs and skimming every one as he made his way back to his offending garments.

Nick slid the coveralls down a little bit and Ellis got up on his knees so that they fell beneath the swell of his ass. Just as Nick cupped his cheeks in both hands, Ellis pushed him roughly and he felt himself flail backwards onto the floor. He landed roughly and looked up, surprise and anger wild in his eyes, to see Ellis undressing himself the rest of the way. Nick couldn't help but stare in awe. He tried to convince himself it was because he hadn't gotten laid in nearly two months and was just merely excited, not because Ellis really was amazing to look at. But he was slowly failing as he felt the fabric around his junk constrict him unforgivably.

Ellis got down on top of him and pressed himself into the older man, slowly undoing each button on his dress shirt as he rocked himself back and forth gently. He laid watchful eyes on his hands and refused Nick the pleasure of seeing into his soul so that he could read his intentions. Mixed with the lack of control, Nick felt himself begin to sweat. He moved to grab the younger of them in his hands but Ellis proved faster and grabbed his wrists, fighting the control away from him. And Ellis was _stronger_. Nick felt himself scowl, but the Georgia boy on top of him just smirked like he knew what he was doing and let go. He peeled the shirt away with Nick's help and bent down, dropping little kisses all the way up to his neck. Nick wrapped his arms around Ellis's bare back, even despite being kind of hesitant to touch him that way still, but Ellis had other plans. The mechanic leaned back and got started on Nick's bottoms, undoing the belt first, then the button, then the zipper, working so slowly that it felt like years before Nick was freed. As soon as Ellis caught sight of how ready he was, he brought his mouth down, closing it around the shaft and sucking like a needy puppy.

Nick felt Ellis's palm against his sack and let out a startled breath when a couple of his fingers pressed hard against his perineum. Nick's hands automatically found their way to the back of his head, his fingers tangling up in those silky curls, and he held him in place while he worked his tongue like a pro. He couldn't help a cry of pleasure when he felt the tip hit the back of Ellis's throat. Looking down, he expected the boy to choke, but he kept up impressively, kneading Nick's stomach with one hand and massaging his luggage with the other. When the conman was certain he was going to come, Ellis pulled himself away and leaned himself against the mattress. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and bit his swollen lower lip, his chest rising and falling steadily as he caught his breath. Nick got up on his knees and stood sloppily, like he were drunk, before he tripped out of his pants. The man felt himself _blush_ as he stood before the other and he forced himself past his lips again to forget about it. To his shock and dismay, Ellis refused and turned his head away.

The gambler furrowed his eyebrows and tried again but Ellis pursed his lips and looked up at him with a teasing glance before turning his attention back where it was most wanted. Nick felt the younger man's tongue against the seam in his skin below the base of his dick and held his breath as he felt it travel further until it was against his entrance and he was kind of sitting on Ellis's shoulders like a weird reverse piggyback ride. His hair tickled at the inside of Nick's thighs and for a second, he felt everything hyper-sensitively. Nick gasped and doubled over, his hands grabbing urgently at Ellis's back and his thighs involuntarily closing in on his head, when he felt the hick's tongue prod into him quickly. Nick blushed a dark crimson and was thankful for the dim lighting as he stood at arm's length from the kid who sat on his shins with his palms on the carpet, a devilish smirk on his face.

Nick watched as Ellis rearranged himself and pulled his knees up to his chest, spreading his legs while he sucked his own fingers into his mouth. He watched with a loose jaw and a pounding heart as Ellis laid his head back against the mattress and grazed over himself with slicked fingers before inserting three without hesitation. Obviously testing the waters, he didn't seem to mind that Nick wasn't willing to go there and moved on quickly. Nick felt like he should've been readying him instead but couldn't find the urge to follow through as Ellis let little pleased whines drip down the walls in the room, all he could do was watch. Ellis arched his back into his own touch and spread himself open with his other hand as he leaked down his shaft and licked his lips and pressed his eyes closed tightly and Nick felt his knees buckle.

Nick practically tackled him over and hooked the back of his knees with his arms, allowing himself all the access and all the control he wanted. Nick closed the space between them so that the backs of Ellis's thighs were against his chest and his he could feel the heat from where Ellis's fingers had left himself open against his head. For a few eternal moments they just locked eyes. Without saying anything, Nick pushed himself in, painfully slowly and with some reservation. Ellis groaned, thick with pleasure, against his cheek and wrapped his arms around his back. That was all the reassurance Nick needed. After he'd sunken in to the hilt, Nick pulled himself out, the slow drag against his skin coupled with the tight, wet heat around him sent his mind reeling and he brought himself back down hard. Ellis cried out when Nick slammed himself into him and Nick couldn't help but do it again and again and again. Lust-laced passion driving his movements, Nick looked down on the man beneath him as he wracked his body. Ellis's head was bent at an odd angle, his face scrunched up in labored bliss, and his skin glittered with both of their perspiration as Nick ground him mercilessly into the carpet and felt himself become close again.

Ellis traded his arms for his legs around Nick's back and brought his hands down to cup his face. He pulled him closer and kissed him, mewling into his mouth as Nick pushed on him harder and harder. He dug his elbows into Nick's chest and shoved him backward, moving his legs to brace himself as he turned the tables. Using his strength to his advantage, Ellis held Nick to the ground and closed his eyes tight. Beautiful moaning emanated from the pit of his stomach as he slid himself on and off with practiced precision, hitting his spot every time. Nick trailed his way up Ellis's thighs and spread him open as he rode himself out. For a moment, even in the middle of such a blatant display, Nick actually pictured an afterglow. He saw them cuddled together in bed, his fingers tracking Ellis's sticky skin as he sighed lazy exhibits of pure satisfaction into his hair while crickets lulled them to sleep.

Nick pushed the boy to the side, making him yelp out of surprise, and stood up. The blood rushing back to his head and down to his cock at the same time gave him a headrush and he sat down on the bed. Ellis wasted no time and perched himself in his lap, his arms automatically looping around Nick's neck as he buried his face in his chest and got back into a rhythm. Nick rolled his head back and breathed out, ragged and hot. He dug his nails into Ellis's shoulder blades and bent his neck to kiss him.

Ellis breathed out exhausted and desperate as he gritted his teeth. Nick picked him up behind the knees, mocking the position they'd taken on the floor, and carried him to the wall closest, slamming him into it with a rather loud thud. Ellis squeaked as he hit the hard surface and leaned into Nick's body, running his hands from his shoulders to his arms to hold himself up. Nick tried his best to fuck him hard and support his weight against the wall with nothing but his upper back touching it, but he feared his own strength. Just as Nick felt his body would fail him, he felt a rush of energy surge through his muscles as a fire burned hotter and hotter in the bottom of his abdomen. He brought one hand up and held it tightly around Ellis's neck. The younger man gnawed on his own lip as he moved one of his hands to his lap, pumping himself with a loose fist.

Ellis was getting close and Nick could tell. His whines got more frantic as Nick squeezed his hand tighter around his voice box and he could feel every one travel up his arm to his ears like a pretty melody in time with his thrusts. Nick could hardly see despite the dim light in the room and he realized that he was resisting the urge to clamp his eyes shut. For the first time in his sexual career, he wanted to see _everything_. He looked down between them and groaned, forgetting his duty and losing his grip. He grabbed at thin air as Ellis fell, bringing his arms up quickly to cross behind his head like a shield from hard contact with the floor. The backs of his thighs were still stuck to the tops of Nick's and Nick took two steps forward; any more and Ellis would've been in an awkward headstand. Nick reentered him and reached down, his fingers ghosting over Ellis's cock. He felt the bottom shiver against him and he took a deep breath, wrapping his hand around him slowly. He felt different than Nick did, but Nick loved it. He stroked him off as he worked him open with his unit and slipped a finger in beside himself. Ellis gasped and shuddered as his ass tightened up around the additional intrusion. He took that as his cue to add another and Ellis breathed his name out slowly, so thick and sweet like honey on his tongue. Nick felt like if that was the last thing he heard, that would've been just fine.

Nick felt the younger boy spill out warm over his fingers and pulled his hand away quickly, kind of shocked, and a little grossed out that it was someone else's, but kind of turned on, and a little bit curious to taste it. Ellis had gone limp beneath him and he felt the full brunt of his weight against his thighs as the mechanic gripped the carpet with lifeless hands. The sight of him so sated and spent had Nick worked up and he pushed himself in harder, using both hands to gape him wide around himself. The pull of a grown man with no support tugged Ellis's body down Nick's legs until it was just the tip and Nick could see the kid opened up beneath him. Nick felt his muscles contract and he looked down to see himself come into the boy who just an hour ago had been the bane of his existence. The old feelings were such a stark contrast to what he felt afterward, Nick had a hard time believing himself. Mostly he was confused at how he could've let that happen at all.

Ellis pulled his limbs away and rolled over, just _being_ for a few moments and Nick took his lead. He rested his forehead against the wall and it slid a bit from the thick coat of sweat that had developed at his hairline and dripped down to his brows. Nick looked down at Ellis's back, raw and red from all the friction and for a moment thought that he should get down on his knees to kiss the angered skin.

"Let's get back to bed, we need to sleep," he whispered, pausing momentarily to watch himself drip down Ellis's leg where ass met thigh. He congratulated himself and made his way to the light and flipped it off, making the room pitch black.

The mattress gave beneath Ellis's weight as he crawled in beside the gambler, but not too close and Nick could feel the tense hesitation in the air. Confident and daring just moments before, Ellis could probably tell Nick was not the cuddling type and didn't want to risk his luck. So, Nick slid himself over and wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller body beside him. He felt Ellis relax and knew he was smiling and didn't even scold himself for smiling, too.

"Thought you said if I touched you, I'd be dead," Ellis teased.

"Yeah, don't push it, kid," Nick sighed into his hair.


End file.
